


Would you believe?

by Ot3srock



Series: Broganes AUs [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Galra Keith (Voltron), Human Thace, Keith and Shiro are Siblings, M/M, Platonic Cuddling, Teen Shiro, Thace is a single father, young keith
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-03 23:02:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10260890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ot3srock/pseuds/Ot3srock
Summary: Would you believe that Thace is doing his best to raise two rambunctious boys all by himself?"Keith, come back here! Shiro, not one more sweet before dinner!"Would you believe that Thace really does his best to raise his sons?"Ow! Dad! That's too tight!""I'm sorry, bud. Just hold still."Would you believe that Thace sometimes can't handle his boys?"C'mon, Keith, Dad's not feeling well.""Shiro, what's wrong with Dad?""It's a really bad headache, so we gotta be really quiet, alright?""Okay."Would you believe that Thace wouldn't trade his boys for the world?"I'm sorry, Dad.""It's okay, Shiro. I'm just glad you're okay.""They made fun of him. I had to get them to stop, I didn't mean to hurt anyone.""I know, bud. I'm proud of you for sticking up for him,"Would you believe?





	1. It's not a crush!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first official fiction on here, and I'm excited. Please tell me what you think about it in the comments. Thanks!

"Keith, buddy, how was school?" Thace asked as his youngest child walked into the house.

"Terrible!" Keith threw his backpack onto the couch and ran upstairs to his room. Thace looked at his oldest, Shiro, who was sat at the kitchen table doing homework. Shiro just shrugged and went back to his geometry work. Thace walked to Keith's room at the end of the hall and knocked on the door softly.

"Keith? Buddy, can I come in?" he asked to the door.

"No!" Keith yelled from the other side of the wooden blockade. Thace sighed and tried the knob. It was jammed; probably by a chair.

"Buddy, please. Maybe if you talk about it, it'll be better. Please let me in so we can talk, Keith."

"No. You're gonna ground me if I tell you."

"No, I'm not, Keith. Just let me hear you out, okay?" Thace bargained.

"Promise you won't punish me?" Keith asked.

 "I promise, Keith. Just please let me in?" There was shuffling, sniffling, and the sound of a chair moving, before the doorknob turned and the door swung open a bit. Thace walked into the room to find Keith sitting on the bed with his hands in his lap and his head hung lowly.

"I'm sorry, Dad," the boy mumbled.

"For what?" Thace asked; sitting on the bed and wrapping an arm around the boy.

"I think I might like a boy in my class." The eighṭ year old started to sob loudly and used his hands as a trap for the tears.

"Hey. There's nothing wrong with boys liking boys and girls liking girls," Thace soothed.

"Really?" Keith asked; looking at Thace with teary, but hopeful, violet eyes.

"Really. Now, who's this boy you have a crush on?"

"It's not a crush, Dad!" Thace chuckled at the boy's antics. "I just might like him."

"Okay. What's his name, Keith?"

"His name's Lance. He's always bothering me when I'm doing work and he's really annoying," Keith huffed.

"What do you mean, buddy?" Thace asked.

"I mean, he's always sitting next ṭo me and whispering in my ear. While I'm trying to concentrate, Dad! Don't you know how terrible that is? I've gotten in trouble because HE won't stop talking! And the worst part? He tries to hold my hand! While I'm trying to write, Dad! I need my hand to write! And he's always on my right side, so I can't hold his hand and write! N-not that I wanna hold his hand, anyway. He's always got hot, clammy hands. They're weird!" Keith rambled.

"Uh huh?" Thace prompted. "What else?"

"Well, he's always trying to compete with me. Every day it's, 'Hey, Keith! I bet you can't make it down the slide faster than me!' or, 'Hey, Keith! I bet you can't climb to the top of the monkey bars faster than me!' or, 'Hey, Keith! I bet you can't beat me in a race around the playground!'! Which, everyone knows I'm the fastest kid in third, fourth, and fifth grade! But he just doesn't give up! He always tries to pick up Pidge and everyone knows that Pidge does NOT want to be picked up, Dad. Everyone knows these things. So, why doesn't he?" Keith threw up his hands when he mentioned Pidge. Pidge was in the same class as Keith, although, they were a couple years younger and non-binary.

"I see that this Lance kid really frustrates you, huh, buddy?" Thace pointed out. Keith nodded.

"He does. But I kinda like him, too, Dad. He gives me a funny feeling in my stomach when he holds my hand. Like, yesterday, I tripped on my shoelace and when I fell, I hit my knee on a rock. It really hurt, Dad, so I started crying and I was holding my knee, right?" Thace nodded in an understanding way, but then realized something.

"Wait, when did you fall?" he asked.

"Yesterday at recess, Dad. Keep up," Keith sassed. "Well, anyway, when I looked up, Lance was there; holding a band-aid for me and he helped patch me up and take me to the nurse. I really liked how he held my hand on the way there. He waited right outside the nurse's office door and he wouldn't leave until I did. And when I was crying because my knee hurt, he wiped away my tears and kissed my cheek. He called me little red, too. I like that nickname, Dad."

"Okay, so you like Lance, but you hate him, right?" Thace asked in clarification.

"Well, hate is a strong word, Dad. It's more like, I have a distaste for some of the things he does, ya know?"

"Oh, so you have a crush?"

"Ew! No, Dad! Crushes are weird. They lead to love and love leads to marriage and marriage leads to kids. I don't want kids. I have big plans, Dad. None of them involve kids," Keith said; his face screwed up in disgust.

"Okay. Well, you know I had a crush on your mom, right?"

"Yeah. And you guys had a kid. You skipped the marriage part and just had me. I don't wanna have kids with Lance. They'd be too much like him, Dad. I'm not ready for kids. I'm eight. I'm only a kid, myself. It's too early." Thace chuckled at his son and heard Shiro laughing behind him.

"That's not how kids work, Keith," Shiro said.

"Says who?" Keith asked.

"Says every health class ever," Shiro answered. Keith stuck his tongue out at his older brother and Shiro copied him.

"Alright, boys. That's enough," Thace instructed. "Shiro, go finish your homework."

"Fine," Shiro grumbled; walking back down the stairs to finish his work.

"Keith, continue, please."

"Anyway, Mr. Coran said that my funny feeling is liking someone. And I only feel funny when I'm around Lance. So, I've concluded that I like Lance," Keith explained.

"Okay. And your day was terrible because?" Thace asked.

"Because Lance gave me a note during class saying he liked me and Mr. Coran took it and read it to the entire class. Out loud, Dad! Out loud! And everyone was making fun of us on the bus ride home."

"Okay. Anything else?" Thace could feel that Keith was still keeping something from him.

"Well, Lance tried to apologize to me once we got off the bus and I shoved him over and told him I hate him," the boy admitted.

"Hmm. How do you think that made him feel, bud?" his dad asked.

"Not good. I'm gonna say sorry tomorrow, okay?" Keith answered.

"Atta boy. Now, why don't you start your homework and I'll have dinner ready in an hour, okay?"

"Okay."

-The next day-

Keith spotted Lance sitting under a tree and walked over shyly.

"Hi, Lance." Lance looked up.

"Oh. Hi, Keith. Are you gonna push me again?" Lance asked.

"No. I-I wanted to say I'm sorry that I pushed you and said I hate you. I'm sorry that I hurt you, Lance," Keith apologized. Lance smiled.

"It's alright," he said with a toothy grin. Keith smiled and handed him the flower he picked.

"I-I got this for you on my way to the bus stop. It's pretty and I really like it. It reminds me of you." Keith looked down awkwardly. Lance stood up and took the flower from the young boy's hand; replacing the flower with his own hand. Keith blushed and Lance leaned into his ear.

"I like holding your hand," Lance whispered. Keith blushed, but smiled.

"I-I like holding your hand, too," he answered. Lance kissed his cheek and everyone around them pointed and gasped; whispering about how they were gonna have kids soon if they kissed.

"Alright, kids! School's starting soon! Let's come on inside and get all of your stuff packed into your cubbies!" the teacher, Mr. Coran instructed. Keith and Lance held hands all the way in and even all the way to their small cabinets. They held hands and Keith never wanted to let go anytime soon. Of course, he didn't know that through all his life moments, good and bad, he'd still have that same perfectly tanned hand to hold; up to his wedding day and beyond.


	2. Stomach bug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Shiro, what happened?" Thace asked.
> 
> "I don't know. I went to tell his coach that he wouldn't be at practice because he wasn't feeling well, and when I got back, he was really warm and covered in puke," Shiro explained.
> 
> "Oh, my God. This is clearly worse than a simple stomach bug."
> 
> "Shiro!"

"Keith, buddy, wake up. It's time for school," Thace whispered; shaking the nine year old lightly. Keith groaned and turned over; staring up at his dad blankly.

"Dad, no. I'm tired," he whined.

"I know, buddy. You had a long night, didn't you?" Thace soothed; stroking the silky, black hair in a calming motion. The poor boy had spent almost the entire night coughing violently. While Thace would have been happy letting him stay home, Shiro was already at school and Thace had work to do.

"Can't I go to work with you?" Keith rasped. Thace sighed heavily.

"I wish you could, bud. But it's a dangerous job today. I don't want you getting hurt," he explained. Keith pouted tiredly.

"Okay. I'll get dressed," he mumbled; sitting up slowly and crawling out of bed to get ready.

***

"Hey, Keith!" Pidge exclaimed; climbing onto the bus and clambering into the seat next to Keith. Keith managed a half-hearted smile at his friend. "Feel any better?"

"A little. My cough is mostly gone, but I'm really tired," Keith mumbled. "I couldn't stop coughing. I think I woke my dad and Shiro at least thirty times last night. I feel really bad."

"Oh." Pidge pulled their lunchbox out of their backpack. "My mom packed me cookies. Do you want one?" they asked. Keith nodded and yawned.

"Yes, please." Pidge handed him a cookie. "Thanks, Pidge."

"No problem. We've got lots more at home." A few minutes later, Lance climbed on the bus with Hunk and sat in front of Keith and Pidge. Lance turned in his seat.

"Hi, Keith," the blue eyed boy greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"I dunno," Keith shrugged; taking a bite of the cookie. "Better, I guess. I'm really tired."

"Okay."

"Morning, Pidge," Hunk greeted the younger child.

"Good morning, Hunk. Cookie?" Pidge replied happily. Hunk nodded and Pidge handed him three cookies from their bag.

"Thanks." Hunk gave a cookie to Lance.

"Thank you." As soon as the bus pulled up to the school, all three boys and Pidge climbed off the bus; waiting for Keith to catch up; as he was moving slowly from exhaustion. They went to class; taking their seats and getting out their journals as the teacher stood in front.

"Good morning, students. My name is Mrs. Greer. I'm substituting for Mr. Coran, as he's come across a bit of a cold today," the lady greeted. "Alright. You have a new journal entry on the board, so get started on that while I take role." Pidge groaned. They hated role call. Everyone started on the journal and Keith rested his head on his desk and fell asleep.

"Don't worry, Keith. I won't let her mark you absent," Lance whispered in his ear. It was all Keith could do to hum in appreciation.

"Alright. Let's start. Danny Abraham?" the teacher called a few names. "Hunk Jefferson?"

"Here."

"Katie Holt?"

"It's actually Pidge," Pidge corrected.

"Keith Kogane? Keith Kogane?"

"He's right here," Lance put in. "He's just tired."

"And you are?" Mrs. Greer asked; looking at the attendance sheet.

"Lance. Lance McClain," Lance answered proudly.

"Alright, Lance. Why don't you let Keith answer for himself." Keith looked up tiredly.

"I'm here, Miss," he rasped before closing his eyes and resting his head on his arms again.

"Thank you, Keith," Mrs. Greer said; going back to the attendance as Keith fell back asleep.

***

About halfway through class; just before recess, Keith woke up to a really bad feeling in his stomach. He looked up groggily to find Lance taking notes for him. Keith smiled at the boy and Lance smiled back, but when Keith felt his stomach flip, he groaned and raised his hand.

"So, therefore, the comma is- Yes, Keith? Do you have a question about commas?" Mrs. Greer asked.

"Um, no. May I go to the bathroom?" The nine year old thought that if he used the bathroom, his stomach would settle.

"Is it an emergency?" Keith nodded. "Alright. Go." Keith rushed out of his seat and ran toward the bathroom, but that only made his stomach worse. Right outside the bathrooms, he dropped to his knees and threw up. Keith didn't know how long or how much he threw up, but all he knew was that someone had knelt beside him and placed a hand on his back; rubbing circles on his shirt soothingly.

"It's alright, buddy. Let it out," the person soothed. Keith looked up and saw the janitor kneeling next to him. "You okay, kid?"

"No," Keith groaned; holding his stomach.

"Alright. How about I tell your teacher that you're not feeling well and you go to the nurse and call your brother, okay?" the janitor suggested. Keith nodded and stood up; holding his stomach as he shuffled to the nurse's office. When he got to the front office, the nurse's assistant greeted him.

"Hello. How may I help you?" she asked kindly.

"I need to call my brother. I accidentally threw up." The boy was close to both tears and throwing up again and it was only a matter of which would happen first.

"Oh, honey. It's alright. C'mon. We'll grab you a trash can and you can call your brother, okay?" the assistant comforted; placing a hand on his back and leading him to the back office; helping him onto the bed and supplying Keith with a small trash can before going to the phone.

Crying. The crying happened first. Then the puke. When Ms. Harleton asked for his brother's number, he quickly gave it to her. Upon realizing that he'd distract Shiro from his schoolwork again, Keith started to sob; resulting in making himself sick again. Only this time, he had the trash can to catch his breakfast. When he was done, Ms. Harleton handed him the phone.

"Shiro?" he groaned out.

 _"Yeah, buddy. It's me. The nurse said you're not feeling well?"_ Shiro replied.

"I'm sorry. I threw up."

 _"Hey, it's okay. I'll come pick you up, alright?"_ Shiro tried to soothe his younger brother.

"Please don't. You have school. I'll just walk," Keith protested.

 _"Absolutely not, Keith. You will not walk home with an upset stomach. I'll be there in about fifteen minutes."_ Keith sighed.

"Okay." He hung up the phone and handed it back to Ms. Harleton.

"Why don't you rest, sweetheart. You look exhausted," the nurse suggested. Keith nodded; yawning and laying down; setting the trashcan right next to his head and closing his eyes.

***

Shiro walked back into his classroom and slipped into his seat.

"Shiro. Nice of you to join us again. Is everything all right?" his teacher asked.

"Um, actually, it's not. My brother got sick at school and I have to go take care of him because my dad is working again," Shiro answered.

"Alright. Go. You're excused for the rest of the day," his teacher said; writing a note on a slip of paper and giving it to Shiro. Shiro gathered up his things, took the pass, and hurried out to his car. He sped to the school and went straight to the nurse's office, where Keith was laying on one of the beds with a trash can near his head. Shiro had to admit that his younger brother looked really adorable while he slept.

"Are you Keith's brother?" Ms. Harleton asked.

"Uh, yeah. What happened? Is he okay?"

"He should be fine. It might just be a slight stomach bug. When I talked to the janitor, he said that Keith threw up outside the bathroom for a while and when he got here, he started crying and he threw up again," the nurse explained.

"Oh. Is he still sleeping?" Shiro asked.

"Yeah. He should be fine if you carry him."

"Alright." Shiro carried the boy to his car and drove home. He put Keith in bed with a bucket next to the bed. Shiro pulled up the rocking chair and sat to read his book. Around a half hour later, Keith woke up.

"Shiro?" he groaned out. Shiro closed his book and moved closer to his brother.

"Yeah, bud, I'm right here," he answered.

"I'm sorry," Keith apologized.

"For what?"

"For making you miss school again."

"That's alright, Keith. I'd miss a million days of school to take care of you, buddy," Shiro placated. Keith started to cry again; feeling guilty, which only resulted in him being sick again and throwing up into the bucket near his head.

"Does Daddy know?" the violet eyed boy asked; sitting up and looking at his brother.

"Yeah. I called him when we got home," Shiro answered. A mix of fear, remembrance, and nausea crossed Keith's face.

"Baseball practice. My coach. I can't miss without a good excuse."

 

"I'll go tell your coach you're sick, Keith. He won't count you off if you're feeling this bad," Shiro offered. Keith nodded; laying back down and closing his eyes. Shiro left to go tell Keith's coach he was sick.

 ***

Keith slept feverishly; sitting up several times and throwing up on himself while still half asleep. When Shiro came home, he found the boy covered in puke and burning up immensely. Shiro went downstairs to grab an ice pack from the freezer and his dad walked in.

"Shiro, what happened?" Thace asked.

"Well, apparently he threw up outside the bathroom at his school, then he threw up in the nurse's office. When I got there, he was sleeping, so I carried him into the car and then up to bed. When he woke up, he started crying and that made him throw up. But I just got back from telling his coach that he won't be at practice today and when I got upstairs, he was covered in puke and really warm," Shiro explained. Thace ran a hand through his hair.

"Jesus. This is so much more than a measly stomach bug." Suddenly, there was a loud, high-pitched cry from upstairs.

"Shiro!"

"I should go, but, what are we gonna do?"

"You go. I'll call the doctor," Thace suggested.

"But..." Shiro started.

"I know. I'm gonna call Natalie."

"Shiro!"

"Right." Shiro climbed the stairs quickly and crossed to his little brother's room. The boy was siting up; covered in more puke(if possible) and crying.

"Shiro?" the boy asked.

"Yeah, buddy. It's me. What do you need?" Shiro asked lightly.

"I'm sorry. I missed the bucket," Keith groaned. Shiro crossed to the bed and placed the ice pack on Keith's sweaty forehead.

"That's alright. Dad and I will clean it up," he soothed.

"Daddy's home?"

"Yeah, buddy. He's just making a quick call. He'll be right up." As if on cue, Thace walked into the room; his heart breaking at the sight of his youngest son looking so helpless.

"Alright. Natalie said she'll be here in fifteen minutes at most and to get him into a warm bath until she does get here," he told Shiro.

"Daddy?" Keith whimpered. Thace walked to his bedside; brushing sweaty hair from his son's burning forehead. "Daddy, I have to go potty." Thace knew that this was definitely worse than a stomach bug or even any cold or flu that Keith had had before. Not only had the young boy called him "daddy", but he'd also said he needed to go potty. Keith never used the word "potty" anymore. Not for at least six years. he barely used it while toilet training. Something was definitely off.

"Alright, buddy. Why don't we go to the bathroom while Shiro changes your sheets? How does that sound?" Thace suggested. Keith nodded and held up his arms for his dad to carry him. Thace picked up the boy and carried him to the bathroom across the hall, situating him properly before leaving the room and shutting the door for optimal privacy, Once Keith called out that he was done, Thace opened the door and started a warm bath; making sure it was the right temperature before adding some bubble bath. He looked at the nine year old sitting on the floor.

"What's that for, Daddy?" Keith asked.

"It's just to clean you up a bit, buddy. Why don't you get out of those dirty clothes for me, alright?" Thace explained. Keith nodded and slowly pulled his shirt over his head. Once the boy was undressed, Thace picked him up and set him in the tub; watching Keith visibly relax in the water. There was a knock on the door.

"Thace? It's Natalie. Can I come in?"

"Yeah. Come on in!" Thace called. Natalie opened the door and walked into the bathroom. Natalie was a nurse in training at the local hospital and was eager to help. She and Thace had met in college while studying business together. Long story short, Natalie decided that an office job was way too boring and went back to school to study medicine and when she graduated, she got an internship at the local hospital.

"Hi, Keith. I'm Natalie; I'm a friend of your dad's," Natalie greeted; kneeling in front of the bathtub. Keith looked at his dad questioningly.

"Natalie's here to check on you, buddy," Thace explained further. "Is that alright?"

"Alright." Natalie did a few regular tests of his eyes, throat, and temperature before starting to ask some questions.

"Have you had anything to eat today?" A nod. "Have you drank any water at all today?" A shake of the head. "Did you get enough sleep last night?" That was a definite no. "How about the night before?" A yes. "Have you been vomiting a lot?" An absolute yes. "Have you felt nauseous for over an hour?" Keith cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Let me rephrase. Have you felt like vomiting for over an hour?" The nine year old thought for a little bit then nodded. "Alright. How long do you think you've felt like that?"

"Right before recess," Keith told her.

"So, around 11 o'clock," Thace clarified. Natalie nodded in understanding.

"Alright. How has your body temperature been?" she asked.

"I feel really cold and my head feels warm and it hurts really bad," the child whined.

"Your head hurts?" Keith nodded. "Does anything else hurt?"

"My whole body feels sore and my tummy is really upset and my chest hurts," Keith told her.

"Alright. Would you mind if I feel for something?" Natalie asked. Keith nodded and Natalie reached into the tub and pressed her hands to the boy's belly; pressing lightly around where his stomach was. Keith whimpered when she pressed the middle of his stomach. "Is that where is hurts most?"

"Yeah." Natalie moved her hand around softly; feeling the boy's stomach through his skin.

"Alright. You said your chest hurts. Have you been coughing at all?"

"I coughed all night," Keith answered.

"Is it alright if I talk to your dad outside?" Keith nodded and Natalie led Thace outside.

"What is it? It can't be just a stomach bug," Thace whispered.

"Unfortunately, you're absolutely right. I really hate to say this, but I think Keith might have pneumonia," Natalie told the man. Thace gasped.

"What do you mean, Nat?" he asked.

"Pretty much every symptom is present. Nausea and vomiting, chills, fever, cough, chest pain; all of it matches. I've dealt with pneumonia kids before. It's best to just tell them that they're gonna get better soon. Just give him these antibiotics." She handed him a small, orange bottle from her bag. "And have him rest a lot. He should be fine in no time," Natalie instructed.

"Alright. Thanks a lot, Natalie," Thace thanked.

"My pleasure. It was good to see you." With a hug, she left. Thace walked back into the bathroom.

"How about we get you back in bed, huh, bud?" he suggested; kneeling down to his son. Keith nodded; shivering despite the warm temperature of the water. Thace let out the water in the tub and Keith got out; letting his dad wrap him in a fluffy blue towel and carry him to his room. Once there, Thace dressed the nine year old in superhero underwear and comfy pajamas before placing him under the new blankets Shiro had supplied. Thace grabbed two pills from the bottle Natalie had given him and got Shiro to get him a small glass of water.

"What's that for, Daddy?" Keith asked.

"They're gonna make you better, but you gotta swallow them with the water, alright?" Thace explained. Keith surprisingly swallowed the pills without any difficulty. He fell asleep and Thace went downstairs to make dinner when he heard the doorbell ring. He answered it to see Lance, Pidge, and Hunk standing on the porch.

"Good afternoon, sir. We just came by to see how Keith is doing. He didn't look like he was feeling well when he left and we wanted to make sure he's alright," Lance greeted.

"Hey, guys. Keith's sleeping right now. But I'll make sure to tell him you guys stopped by, alright?" Thace said. The kids nodded.

"Alright. We have his homework, too. And my mommy made this bowl of macaroni for him." Pidge handed Thace the papers and a bowl with cling wrap on it.

"Thank you."

"Well, make sure he feels better," Hunk said. "Goodbye." With that, all three kids left to their own houses. Thace closed the door and set the papers on the coffee table and the bowl in the fridge for when Keith could stomach it.

***

A couple days later and Keith was back to his normal self; running and playing with his friends. He made sure they knew how grateful he was for them checking on him. And he gave Lance a special kiss for being so kind.


	3. Patience Yields Focus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically where Keith gets into a fight and Shiro gives him the "patience yields focus" speech.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to LevvyWut for the idea. Posted 6/29/17 at 1:44 am

"Hey, Keith!" Keith turned to see Jimmy and two others walking toward him. "Are you secretly a girl? Cause your hair makes you look like one!" the boy taunted.

"I am not a girl!"

"You look like one. Should we get you princess clothes and stupid dollies?" Jimmy teased. He and his friends laughed. "What would your girl name be? How about Kira, huh?"

"Yeah," one of the other boys agreed. "He looks like a Kira!"

"That's not true. My name is Keith," Keith protested; trying to keep calm.  _Of all the days for Lance to be gone visiting family_

"Sure. Do you want a pink potty seat, too, Kira? You don't look like you're potty trained yet, Kira."

"I am, too toilet trained. I have been since I was two."

"Oh, sure. And I guess you don't need to bring a stuffed animal with you to school everyday, either, right?" Keith paused when one of Jimmy's friends pulled Keith's stuffed bear from behind his back.

"Where'd you get that from?" Keith asked; reaching for the bear. Jimmy's friend held it out if his reach.

"It was sticking out of your backpack, Kira. Why'd you bring it to school, anyway?" Jimmy taunted.

"Give it back!" Keith demanded; grabbing for the stuffed animal again, only for it to be held out of his grasp once more.

"What's wrong, Kira? Gonna wet your pants? Can't sleep without your dumb teddy?" Jimmy teased.

"Give it back!"

"Why? You gonna cry, little baby? Cry like a girl?" That was the last straw. Keith lunged at the boy; tackling him to the concrete and punching him repeatedly.

"Keith! No! That is not okay!" a teacher called; rushing over and pulling Keith off of Jimmy; kicking and screaming. Another teacher helped Jimmy up and led him to the nurse's office. Mrs. Darnell, the new fourth grade teacher, dragged Keith down to the principal's office.

"Keith, I thought we agreed that this wouldn't happen again," Principal Haggar said as Keith sat in the chair at her desk. The boy just huffed.

"Why'd you hit him? Did he say something?" Mrs. Darnell asked from her place behind Keith's chair.

 "I dunno," Keith mumbled.

"Keith, if he said something to you, we need to know."

"I dunno."

"Keith-" Principal Haggar held up a hand.

"Don't. If he doesn't want to tell us, he doesn't have to," she said. "Look, Keith. I'm gonna call your brother to pick you up, okay?"

"Fine."

***

"Keith, could you give me a moment with Principal Haggar, please?" Shiro said.

"Okay." Keith left the room; hanging near the door so he could hear.

"So, what happened?" Shiro asked.

"Well, according to the new fourth grade teacher, Keith attacked another student on the playground," Principal Haggar explained. "Unfortunately, we can't allow him back into school for the rest of the week due to his...violent tendencies."

"So, you're suspending him?"

"The school doesn't believe in suspension. I'd say we're...giving him a...leave of absence for a couple of days."

"So, he's suspended?" Shiro reiterated.

"Well, I guess so," Principal Haggar admitted.

"That's what I thought. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to take my brother home now." Shiro left the room and took Keith home.

***

"Shiro, do you think I'm a baby?" Keith asked as his brother tucked him into bed.

"What? No," Shiro answered.

"Do you think I'm a girl? Or that my hair makes me look like a girl?" Keith asked.

"No," Shiro answered.

"Well, do you think my name should be Kira?" Keith asked.

"Absolutely not, Keith. Where'd you get that idea?"

"Dunno."

"Look, Keith." Shiro moved to sit on the bed. "I don't know who told you that, but they're wrong. You are very much grown up. And while there's nothing wrong with being a girl, if you say you're a boy, then I have no reason to believe otherwise. Lastly, your name is Keith. It's the one that was given to you and it's the one that fits you best, little brother," Shiro told the boy. "Now get some sleep."

"Alright. Goodnight, Shiro." The eleven year old rolled over and fell asleep. Shiro headed back to his own room and prepared himself for bed.

***

"Shiro?" A whisper in the darkness. "Shiro, are you awake?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you awake?" the voice asked again.

"I'm awake, Keith. What's going on?" Shiro sat up in bed to find his brother standing at the end of his bed.

"I can't sleep. Can I stay here with you?" Keith asked shyly.

"Yeah, buddy. C'mere." Shiro moved over to make room for his little brother. Keith clambered onto the bed and lied down next to his brother. Shiro pulled the blankets over them both.

"Thanks, Shiro."

"What kept you up?" Shiro asked.

"I kept having this dream where everyone made fun of me," Keith admitted.

"Does this have anything to do with what you asked me earlier? Or what happened at school?"

"Yeah."

"What's been going on?"

"Well, this kid, Jimmy, and his friends keep making fun of me. They call me a baby and a girl and it really hurts," the eleven year old confessed.

"Hmm. You wanna know what Dad told me when I got into my first fight?"

"What?"

"He told me patience yields focus," Shiro said. "What that means, is if you're patient, things will come easily to you."

"That makes sense."

"Yeah. Now got to sleep, kiddo. It's, like, three in the morning."

"Goodnight, Shiro."

"Goodnight, kiddo."

***

"Hey, Kira! I heard you got kicked out of school for two days. I'm surprised you're back," Jimmy teased. This time, Keith didn't turn, or even acknowledge that he was being talked to.

_Patience yields focus_

"Hey! I'm talking to you, Kira!" Jimmy shouted.

_Patience yields focus_

Jimmy tugged Keith around so the two were face to face.

"You'd better answer me when I'm talking to you, Kira. Or else..."

"Or else what?" Keith asked. "You'll tell a teacher that I didn't let you have your way?" Jimmy growled, wound up, and punched Keith in the face.

"Jimmy Prescott! It is not okay to hit!" Mrs. Darnell called; walking over to the pair. "It's off to the principal's with you, young man."

"Keith, are you okay?" Mr. Coran asked; kneeling in front of Keith.

"Patience yields focus, sir. I'll be alright," Keith replied; reaching up to wipe the blood slowly trickling from his nose. "He doesn't hit very hard, anyway."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure I did the idea justice, but there it is! Also, if you'd like, leave requests in the comments section.


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